Raura Love Story
by rockyr5
Summary: This is a story about 9 friends (members of R5, Ryland, and the cast of Austin & Ally) and what happens when the past and present come together for Ross Lynch and Laura Marano.
1. Chapter 1

"Now this is a good one!" Raini leaned over the photo album, giggling, as Rydel and Laura crowded in around her. They were all seated on the couch as the boys finished setting the table for dinner.

"Shut up!" Laura covered the photo with the palm of her right hand and shoved Raini with the other. "Why do you insist on embarrassing me?" she questioned with a smile.

Rydel pulled Laura's hand away forcefully and laughed out loud, urging the boys to come and view the picture. "Laura, your skirt!" The photo revealed Laura Marano as a two year old, bending over in the yard and picking a dandelion. Ross Lynch, a two year old as well, was lifting up her flowery skirt and displaying her full diaper.

"No, no, shut it!" Laura looked desperately at the girls as the boys approached them.

"What is it?" Ross sat on the arm of the couch and peered over Laura's shoulder at the image. Immediately, he bursted out in laughter. Rocky, Riker, Ellington, Ryland, and Calum reacted the same way not much after. "I was a little rebel," he said with a chuckle and a smirk.

"We should've known what a player Ross was going to become when he did this," Rydel stated, passing the book to Rocky to get a closer look.

"Hey! I'm not that bad..." Ross stood up.

Rocky laughed again, handing the photo album to Riker, "Poor Laura with her poopy diaper."

She hit his arm lightly, letting out a giggle, "I guess it is kinda funny."

Ryland leaned over Riker's shoulder as he viewed the photo. "Can you believe we've all been best friends since we were born?"

"Since you were born," Calum Worthy smiled.

Ellington Ratliff ran his fingers through his hair subconsciously, "Yeah, I didn't know you people until Ryland was born. Then I was like, 'Woah. I should be these people's best friend.'"

Riker looked up, "Yeah, why is that?"

Ellington shrugged, "I guess I just got the vibe that a really cool baby was just born and I needed to weasel my way into your lives."

Rydel laughed, standing up, "You're so weird."

Ryland stared at Ellington and Calum for a moment before continuing, "But anyway, it's really cool that we've been friends for so long."

"He is right, though. It's like we were meant to be a family." Laura grabbed the photo album out of Riker's hands and shut it, putting it back on the bookshelf.

Ross began to laugh out of nowhere and everybody looked at him.

"You okay?" Raini raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled, "Yeah, I was just thinking about the time that you girls slept over here when you were like 12."

Rocky and Riker looked at each other. "Ross, I don't think they know about that so stop talking while you can," Rocky advised as he looked back at his younger brother.

Ross's smile fell. "Oh. Right."

Laura took a step forward, her eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed. "What are you talking about, Ross?"

"Nothing! Let's go eat dinner!" Riker started backing away, towards the kitchen.

Ross looked at him, "Oh, c'mon. Why can't we tell them? I mean, it's been like 5 years."

"Yeah, tell us. What harm can it do?" Raini turned to the three boys, her eyebrows raised.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you 'cause it's just so darn funny!" Rocky sat down and looked at Ross. "Do you mind?"

He shook his head, "Not at all. It's funnier when you tell it."

"Okay," Rocky began, "It was a Friday night. Laura and Raini were sleeping over in Rydel's room. You girls decided to film a music video in the pool out back and Ross, Riker, and I were inside." He looked at Ryland, "I don't know where you were, Ry. Anyway, Riker thought it would be a good idea to sneak into Rydel's room and do who knows what."

Riker interrupted, "It was not my idea!"

"Then whose was it?"

"Yours!"

Rocky smiled and blushed, "Oh, right. I take that back. It was my idea. Well, we went in the room and Ross came upon some mysterious object."

"Let me just remind you guys that I was only 12," Ross cut in.

Rocky looked at him, "Yeah, and old enough to know what a bra is."

"What?" Rydel, Laura, and Raini chimed simultaneously.

Calum started cracking up, "Oh, man. I can see where this is going."

Rocky grinned, "So Ross picks this bra up with the strangest look on his face and goes, 'Why is this egg holder so soft?'"

The group broke out in hysterics, including Ross.

Catching his breath, Riker added, "And then 13 year old Rocky wore it around a little before we put it back and left."

"Oh my gosh, what is wrong with you guys?" Laura laughed.

"When Ross was still innocent," Rydel reminisced.

"So sorry I missed it," Ryland said sarcastically and started making his way to the kitchen.

"And you guys think I'M weird," Ellington and the rest of the group followed Ryland's lead.

"At least you aren't mad," Riker addressed the girls as he put the food on the table.

"Why would we be mad? It's not like you did anything except embarrass yourselves," Raini directed her statement to Ross and giggled.

"I was slow," Ross pouted.

Laura pulled out a chair and glanced at Ross, "I don't know, I kinda liked slow Ross."

**Ross bit his lip as Laura looked away and the rest of the group carried on with their normal conversation. There was so much more meaning to that statement than any of them knew.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ross Lynch shoved the last piece of his brownie in his mouth before sitting back and observing his family. His not-so-traditional family. Obviously, there was his real family (Riker, Rocky, Ryland, Rydel, and him), but also his added family (Raini Rodriguez, Laura Marano, Calum Worthy, and Ellington Ratliff). They all had a unique personality and bonded so well together, it was like they were made to find each other.

"Well, that was delicious." Calum dropped his fork so that it clattered loudly and reclined in his chair, rubbing his stomach. "Who knew that Ross could make such scrumptious brownies?"

"I did," Rydel smiled and high-fived Ross from across the table. "We used to make them together all the time when we were younger, don't you remember?"

Calum nodded, suddenly remembering.

"When did today become such a walk down memory lane?" Ryland asked, getting up from the table and stacking the dishes on top of one another.

Laura shrugged, "I don't know. Sometimes it's fun to remember the good old days." She gazed at Ross before quickly averting her eyes.

"But the fun is just getting started so let's not waste our time reminiscing!" Rocky jumped up from the table. "Who wants to play some Rock Band?"

"Me!" Riker raised his hand, naively.

Laura brushed off her dress as she stood up, "Actually, I gotta get home and finish some last minute homework. Thanks so much for the Sunday dinner, though."

Ellington grabbed her arm, "Aw, c'mon. Stay. I wanna make fun of you some more for that embarrassing photo." He raised his eyebrows and gave her his best puppy dog face.

She laughed, "As inviting as that sounds, I really gotta go. But I'll definitely be here tomorrow for your birthday."

"Oh, alright." He released her arm, "Don't forget my present."

"Don't worry." She grabbed her jacket from the counter and waved to them. "Goodnight guys." Then, she headed towards the door.

"I'll walk you out," Ross stood up and started after her as everyone called goodbye.

Laura turned at the front entrance, "I can find my way out, Ross. You don't have to walk out with me."

"I want to." He quickly pulled on his jacket and opened the door for her. Laura forced an appreciative smile and lead him outside, right to the driver's door of her car. The wind blew lightly and it sent a shiver through her spine. She turned to face him, brushing a piece of hair out of her face..

"Well, thank you." She reached for the handle.

"I'm sorry," Ross blurted out, pulling her hand away from the door. His grip on her arm was firm, but not painful. His eyes darkened as he waited for her to make eye contact with him.

She looked up, a little surprised by his action. "For what?" She could sense his seriousness.

He looked down at her arm, noticing the lack of circulation that his grip was causing, and let go of it. Then, he looked up. "For growing up." His response held a tone of anger along with its initial remorse.

She smiled, realizing that there was nothing to be serious about or scared of. "That's a stupid thing to be sorry for."

His expression didn't change, "I can tell that you don't like me anymore."

Laura frowned, "What are you talking about, Ross?"

"We were best friends when we were little and now we're growing apart."

She swallowed hard and looked up, making eye contact with him. He wasn't faltering. He meant everything he was saying.

He continued, "And what you said at dinner just...just proves it."

"Ross, I was kidding-"

He interrupted her, "And at first I felt bad because I felt like it was my fault for changing and growing up, but saying that IS stupid...Because you're right! Everyone grows up."

"Ross, I think you're taking this too much to heart."

Ross stared at her for a moment. He broke his eye contact with her as a strong gust of wind blew his hair to the opposite side of his head. "This has been building up for a while, Laura," he finally stated, softly.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Me and you are fine."

He shook his head, "No. I know you. Something isn't right here." He looked up again. "I'm sorry that you don't like me anymore, but I'm not sorry that I grew up. That's what I really mean."

Laura sighed heavily and exasperatedly and clenched her jaw. She stared at him, angry that he had to start this fight. "I still do like you, so I don't know why you're making an issue out of nothing." She turned, opened the car door, and got in. Without another word, she slammed the door shut and sped off, leaving him in the driveway more confused than ever.

**Why DID that just happen?**


	3. Chapter 3

Ross stood in the driveway and stared down the street as the wind picked up. Goosebumps formed on his arms. He glanced toward the house, deciding whether or not to go inside. He exhaled heavily, making up his mind, and moved inside. The front door slammed shut against the wind. Everyone looked up from the TV.

Rocky loosened his grip on his Rock Band guitar, "What did you do?"

Ross ran his fingers through his blonde hair, "Why do you assume that I did something?"

Raini glanced back down at her nail file, "Because something's obviously wrong and it's usually your fault."

Ross groaned and plopped down onto the couch. "I did my random PMS mood swing thing again."

Ryland chuckled, "Yeah, that's a problem, bro. You definitely shouldn't be PMSing."

Ross sighed heavily, "I always do this. Everything is all good and I have to have an attitude and completely ruin everything."

"Drama queen," Ellington mumbled and hit the drums with his Rock Band drumsticks.

Ross narrowed his eyes at Ellington before continuing, "I'm just fed up with the fact that you are all disappointed in me or something. All I hear is 'I miss innocent Ross,' or 'Ross, you used to be so sweet.'"

"We're kidding, dude," Riker put down his bass and lowered the volume on the TV.

"Well, not really," Rydel piped up, "I kinda miss you as my cute little brother."

"I'm still your little brother."

"But...It's not the same."

"Is this about all that kissy grindy stuff you've been doing with all those random girls?" Calum surveyed the group, realizing that he should've kept his mouth shut.

"Okay," Rydel stood up, "I think there is just a little too much testosterone in this house. Raini and I are going to leave and forget this conversation ever happened." She grabbed Raini's hand, "C'mon, let's go."

Raini pulled back, "This looks like it's gonna be funny, though!"

"Well, Ross isn't your little brother so it's not as awkward for you." Rydel released her hand and left the room. Raini rolled her eyes and groaned, standing up and following her.

When they were out of sight, Ross turned to Calum, anger obvious in his features, "Why would you say something like that?"

"I said it nicely..." Calum tugged at the hem of his shirt.

Ross sighed again, "Either way, Laura hates me because of it."

"The sex or the fact that you were PMSing?" Calum asked, seriously. Ross narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw. Abruptly, he stood up and went upstairs, straight into his room.

Calum turned to the rest of the group, "What did I say?"

They rolled their eyes and Rocky put his hand on Calum's shoulder, "Don't worry, pal. It's Ross's time of month. Anything you say will offend him."

Riker shook his head, "Guys, let's be serious. I think we really have been bothering Ross with our comments."

"He needs to learn how to take them like a man," Ryland leaned forward and turned the volume up on the game.

Riker grabbed the remote from him and turned the volume back down, "No, Ryland. You're only a baby so you don't know what it's like to grow up."

"I'm 15."

"My point exactly." Riker put the remote down and addressed the entire group, "Ross is who he is. We can't change that. It's like we want him to be someone else and that's not right."

Rocky sighed, "I guess you're right. We should stop pointing it out."

Ellington accused, "Well, Rydel is the biggest culprit. We just go along with it."

"Let's not assign blame, Ratliff. We'll talk to Rydel later." Riker turned up the volume on the game and picked up his bass, "Now who is ready to rock?"

Rocky slapped his shoulder and laughed, "You are such a great big bro."

Rydel flicked a piece of her hair over her shoulder and picked up a magazine off of her bed, not acknowledging Raini's presence at all.

Raini gazed at her, "Delly, I think you need to let go a little."

Rydel looked up, "I'm fine, Raini. Don't worry about it."

Raini watched her for a moment and sat on the edge of her bed. She spoke softly, "No matter what, your brothers are growing up and there's nothing you can do about it. You just need to love them for who they become."

She paused and stared at a page in the magazine, not really comprehending what was on it. "I do," she said, finally.

"Alright," Raini pulled the magazine away from her friend, "Let's not talk about it. Let's talk about Ratliff's birthday tomorrow. What did you get him?" She smiled, teasingly.

Rydel tried to conceal a smile, but was unable to hide it. "Shut up," was all she managed to say.

**Ross groaned as he hung up his phone for the sixth time. He tugged at the ends of his hair and fell backwards on his bed. Laura wasn't answering her phone, so he couldn't apologize until tomorrow. Which meant he wouldn't sleep that night. He groaned again and held his phone over his face. He stared at it for a minute before developing a sudden fear that he would drop it on his face and cut his lip open. He sat up. He paused for a moment before dialing again. He decided he would leave a voicemail this time. It rang three times before it was picked up.**


	4. Chapter 4

"What Ross?" Laura didn't attempt to conceal the annoyance in her voice.

"Oh," Ross's heart rate increased. "I didn't know you would answer."

"Well, if i didn't, you would've kept calling."

"I wanted to say I was sorry." He paused, "For fighting over nothing."

Laura sighed, realizing that she couldn't stay mad at him. "It's okay," she said without hesitation, "I forgive you."

"Really?" A smile spread wide across his face.

"But," she added quickly, "You really hurt my feelings today. How could you ever say that I don't like you? I love you. You're my best friend."

Ross leaned back again, gazing up at the ceiling while he held the phone to his ear. "I know," he began, "It just seems like something isn't right."

"Well, we aren't who we used to be." The sentence rang in his ears. "That doesn't mean that we aren't still friends, though."

Ross sat up, once again, fidgeting. He cracked his neck and took another deep breath, her statement still echoing in his ears. "Tell me again why we aren't who we used to be?"

Laura furrowed her eyebrows and put down her pencil, focusing all of her attention on the conversation. "Well, we're older..."

"That doesn't mean that we can't be the same," he replied, bluntly.

Laura pursed her lips, "Ross, is something bothering you? You know you can talk to me about anything."

He swallowed hard, "No, forget it. I'm glad we're cool. I'll see you tomorrow, Laura. Sweet dreams." Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone and threw it to the side. He covered his face with his hands and grinded his palms into his eyes, his frustration taking over. When did everything become so complicated?

* * *

The next day, Riker tapped gently on Rydel's open bedroom door. "Knock knock," he caused her to look up.

Rydel smiled brightly at him, "Hey, what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Ross," he said, glancing around her room before he took a seat on her bed.

She pursed her lips and avoided eye contact with him, "Yeah, sure. What about him?"

He bit his lower lip, "Do you think you could lay off the jokes about his loss of innocence?"

"They're not jokes," she replied, defensively. "I'm stating facts."

His eyes widened, "Calm down, Rydel. Facts or not, just take an easy on him."

She stood up, "Riker, you don't understand 'cause you're a boy. It's kinda tough for a sister to witness these things from her baby brother."

He inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a few moments. "It's not like you actually saw him in the middle of anything. I could understand your disgust if you did."

"He's a baby."

"He's 17."

Rydel pouted and plopped back down on her bed. "I don't know why I'm getting so crazy."

Riker exhaled, "Yeah, 'cause you didn't do this for Rocky."

"Rocky is only a year younger than me."

He couldn't help but to smile, "And Ross is only 2 years younger than you."

She looked up at her big brother, a small smile forming on her face. "I know. I'm weird."

"And I love you for it." He grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug. "So let's just not talk about it anymore. If we ignore it and Ross doesn't talk about it, then it'll be like nothing has changed. Okay?"

She pulled away from him, "Okay." Standing up, she straightened her dress and walked over to her closet. Turning to Riker, she smiled, "Now, will you help me get Ellington's birthday present down the stairs?"

* * *

"So then this guys comes walking down the hallway eating corn on the cob! I'm like, 'Dude, it's 7 o'clock in the morning and you're at school. Why are you eating corn?' I was so confused..." Ryland laughed as he reached forward and took a Dorito out of the bowl in the middle of the table.

Calum laughed along with the others, "I believe it. There were some pretty strange kids at that school when I went there."

Riker chuckled and glanced around the room, "We're just waiting on Laura and Ross, right?"

Rydel put the finishing touches on Ellington's birthday card and shoved it into the envelope. "And Ratliff," she grinned.

"Well, obviously," Riker teased just as the front door swung open and Ross walked in, carrying a large birthday cake.

"I got it!" he announced as he moved slowly over to the refrigerator and shoved it inside. Exhaling deeply, he turned and looked at the group, "Everything is gonna go perfectly."

"Oh, no," Ryland smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand and shut his eyes.

"What?" Ross furrowed his eyebrows as he took a seat. "What did I do?"

Rocky sighed, "You just jinxed us. Whenever you say something is gonna go perfectly, it's a disaster." He paused, "It's a proven fact."

Rydel rolled her eyes, still standing, "Oh, c'mon. It's gonna be fine."

Just then, the front door opened again and Laura came rushing in with a gift in her arms. "Did I miss anything?" she asked urgently and out of breath. She shut the door with her leg and rushed into the kitchen, "He's not here yet, is he?"

Ross stood up, "No, you're good."

She smiled at him as she placed her present on the table and straightened her outfit. "My dad unexpectedly needed the car today, so I had to ask my friend for a ride," she explained.

"I could've picked you up," Ross stated, his voice a little edgy.

"I know," Laura continued to smile, "He lives just down the road though and he didn't mind." The group turned their heads back and forth between the two of them.

"He? Who is-" Just as Ross was about to ask, Ellington threw the back door open and beamed widely at his friends.

"I'm here!" he exclaimed.

**Everybody turned their attention to the birthday boy and cheered, "Happy birthday!" The tension was forgotten and new smiles were plastered on their faces.**


	5. Chapter 5

Ross eyed Laura as she pulled Ratliff into a hug. Something was off. Something was...wrong.

"Aw, you guys!" Ratliff grinned from ear to ear and noticed the huge present in front of the couch, "Is that for me?"

Rydel leaned against it, "Well, it is your birthday." She smiled.

He did a little jig and clapped his hands together, "So, where's the cake?"

Riker stood up, "Greedy, greedy." He moved toward the refrigerator, "We were gonna eat dinner first."

"Well, it's my birthday and I demand that we have cake for dinner." He slid into the seat at the head of the table.

Rocky cocked his head to one side, "Really?"

"Yeah," Ratliff paused, "Who's stopping us?"

Everybody thought about it for a minute. Laura shook her head, "No, guys. That's unhealthy."

Raini laughed, "Oh get over it! The birthday boy gets what he wants. I say, bring forth the cake!" She pounded her fist on the table and gestured for the group to agree with her.

Rydel nodded, moving toward the fridge to help Riker with the cake. "I'm down."

Laura shrank down into a chair as everyone urged Ratliff to cover his eyes while they prepared the cake. She sighed heavily. Ross walked over and sat down next to her. "Relax. It's just cake," he said, teasingly.

She looked up at him, "I feel like everything I do or say is wrong."

"Woah," he held up his hands. "Where is this coming from?"

She shrugged and looked away, "Forget it. I'm just having one of those weeks."

They remained silent for a moment. They watched as Riker dug twenty candles into the cake and Rocky passed out nine plates. Rydel and Raini each secretly (but not really) tasted the frosting. Calum joked around with the silverware and Ryland gave him a hard time. Ellington sat patiently at the head of the table with his eyes shut tight. Ross sighed and turned to Laura, "Who drove you over here?"

She rolled her eyes and glanced at him again, "Why is it so important to you?"

"It's not," he replied, defensively. "I'm just asking a question."

"Noah Centineo," she stated, staring at hertheir friends.

Ross groaned, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. "Noah? Seriously, Laura? Do you like him? Did you guys hook up or something?"

Laura turned to face Ross, her eyes wide with fury. "What the hell, Ross? You're such a hypocrite." She jutted out her jaw in frustration, shook her head, and stood up, changing her seat. Riker just finished lighting the candles on the cake.

"Turn off the lights," he demanded, unaware of the tension between Ross and Laura.

Calum switched out the lights and Ratliff opened his eyes slowly. He grinned widely as he watched Riker cautiously carry the cake over to him. Rocky began to sing, "Happy birthday to you..."

Everybody joined in the song except Ross and Laura: She sat with her arms crossed, staring coldly at Ross while he bit his lip tightly, staring back at her.

Ellington blew out his candles when the song finished and everybody clapped, oblivious to the drama with Ross and Laura. Riker handed Ellington the knife, "Go ahead. Cut the cake." He smiled ignorantly.

As Ratliff began to cut the cake and hand out the pieces, Ross continued to stare at Laura. His eyes were narrowed and it was like they were in their own little world. The commotion around them seemed to be miles away. His mind was racing. What was he going to do next? Everything seemed to be falling apart. If he apologized, she would forgive him. But then they'd end up fighting again. It was useless. She had her preconceived notions about him and he couldn't change her opinion. Everybody had these thoughts about him. Was he really that bad? It seemed like he was a short-tempered womanizer. He knew that this wasn't true, but he wouldn't be the last to admit that he had been acting differently lately. Maybe there was something deeper going on...

Ross looked away from her when Ratliff slid a piece of cake in front of him. He stared at it and continued to think. Maybe he would just give up. He could give in to their opinions. He could be who they all thought he was. He clenched his jaw. There was no reason for it. It would probably make things worse, but he didn't care. He was ready to prove them all wrong. He would show them that who he was now was way better than who he could be. If they wanted a girl-crazed maniac, then that was what they would get. Without a word, Ross stood up from the table and walked into the other room, pulling out his cell phone.

**Laura's expression softened as she watched him walk away. She glanced around the table and swallowed hard. Remorsefully, she looked down at her cake with no intention of eating it.**


	6. Chapter 6

"This is some delicious cake," Ratliff mumbled with his mouth full. He glanced around the table with his face covered in chocolate frosting. He grinned and shoved another forkful of cake into his mouth.

Rydel laughed, doing the same. "It is," she nodded.

Ross strutted back into the kitchen and took his seat without making eye contact with anyone. He then proceeded to take his first bite of cake.

Rydel glanced at him before swallowing her mouthful of cake and jumping up from the table. "How about you open your present, Ratliff?" She hurried over to the gift and attempted to slide it over to him. She failed.

Ratliff took another bite before turning toward his gift while Riker stood up and moved to help Rydel. Together, they managed to push the present into the kitchen. Rydel straightened herself before grabbing her card off of the large box and whisking it into Ratliff's hands. She flicked a piece of her hair off of her shoulders and smiled, "You don't need to read this now. I just want to make sure you don't lose it. It's important."

He studied the card for a moment and then smiled, looking up at her. "I will hold onto it." He turned and slid the card into his jacket hanging on the back of his chair.

Raini leaned forward, becoming impatient. "Open your present already, old man!" She giggled.

Ratliff shot her a dirty look, "For your information, I'm only 20."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get to the opening."

Everybody, excluding Ross and Laura, laughed, eager to see his reaction to the gift. Ratliff teased them by slowly pulling the wrapping paper off of the side of the box. They shrieked in laughter and fake complaints, forcing him to unwrap it faster. Almost immediately his jaw dropped and he stopped tearing the wrapping paper. He could see what the gift was. And he was shocked. He looked at his friends in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"It was all Rydel's idea," Rocky stated, grinning.

Ratliff pulled the rest of the paper off of the gift and revealed a brand new drum set. He looked up at Rydel, beaming, "Wow. I don't know what to say."

She smiled, extremely grateful that he loved it so much. "Just say 'thank you'," she giggled.

He chuckled, admiring the drum set, "Thank you..."

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Ross jumped up, "I'll get it." He quickly jogged to the front door, leaving the group a little confused. They didn't think about it too much, though. They were a little preoccupied with Ratliff and his gift.

Within moments, Ross returned to the kitchen with his arm around the waist of a small, brunette girl. Her hair was parted in the middle and curled, similar to Laura's hair. Her skin was tan and her smile was wide. She leaned into Ross, her body pushing up against his. Immediately the group recognized her and their surprise was not welcoming.

"Hi," she waved, uninterested.

Laura stood up, the skin on her face steaming. "What are you doing here, Maia?"

Rydel glanced at Laura and then at Maia, frowning. "Yeah," she supported, "We're kinda in the middle of a birthday party..."

"Doesn't look like much of a party," she mumbled in response, glancing around the room as she pressed into Ross's chest.

"I invited her," Ross stated, brushing his fingers against her waist. "The more, the merrier."

Riker studied his friends' expressions and then looked at Maia and Ross. She was unwanted, but he didn't have the heart to say that out loud. He cleared his throat, "Um, Ross? Can I talk to you in the living room?"

"Hey, whatever you have to say can wait," Ross responded, smiling nonchalantly. He still held Maia close to him, determined to keep her there.

"Okay, guys," Ratliff exhaled, trying to avoid drama on his twentieth birthday. "Who want's to play some Rock Band? I know I do..." He stood up, the magic of his incredible present, ruined. Ross knew that nobody liked Maia. He knew that everybody hated him when he was with her. He knew how to wreck a perfect birthday.

Rydel pouted, seeing Ratliff's disappointment. "I'll play with you," she suggested, with a soft smile.

"Me too," Calum narrowed his eyes at Maia and comically stomped into the other room, showing his disdain.

Soon enough, everybody crowded into the other room, leaving Ross and Maia alone in the kitchen. He clenched his jaw.

"Ross, this is actually really boring," she pouted, her voice whiny and unflattering.

He glanced down at her, his grip on her waist loosening. "Just hang in here with me for a little while and I promise we can do something you want later."

Her pout turned into a slight smirk. "Okay," Maia's eyes flirted with Ross's.

Ross barely noticed as he dragged her into the other room. The game was almost set up when he plopped onto the loveseat, pulling Maia onto his lap. "Raini, do you ever play?" he eyed Raini as she took a sip from her soda can.

She swallowed and tilted her head to the side with attitude, "Ross, are you ever not a whore?" Her frustration with him was growing.

This comment created a roar of 'Oh!'s and 'Burn!'s from Riker, Rocky, Ryland, Ratliff, and Calum. Ross narrowed his eyes, ready to defend himself, but suddenly remembered his goal. He forced a smile and shook his head, "Nope. Once a whore, always a whore, I guess." He tried to emit pride.

**Laura pursed her lips as Raini rolled her eyes. Ross placed his hand on Maia's thigh and looked directly at Laura. She looked away quickly, not wanting him to see her jealousy.**


	7. Chapter 7

Rydel inhaled deeply, trying to remain calm. Ross was supposed to suppress this side of him, not flaunt it in front of his friends. Especially not at Ratliff's birthday party. This was not Ross's day: It was Ratliff's. And Ross was hogging all the attention and doing exactly what she didn't want him to do. She tried to ignore it, focusing her attention on the game in front of her. She was still eager to make this day the best she could for Ratliff.

Riker slapped his palm to his forehead. Really, Ross? Really? He was just setting himself up for the nagging and the teasing. He always complained about his reputation, but then he would just turn around and pull a stunt like this. He wasn't helping himself at all. Riker knew his brother. He may be a lady's man, but this wasn't like him. Family meant too much to him. Something else was going on to make him forget about his friend's birthday.

Laura glanced at Raini and then at the ground in front of her. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks. It was probably obvious to everyone in the room. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to make sense of what she was feeling. She just didn't like Maia. That was it. She didn't like Maia and Ross was making things awkward. What else was new? "Guys," she cleared her throat, standing up. "I think I'm gonna-"

"Get some more cake?" Raini finished her sentence, standing up as well. "I'm with ya." She grabbed Laura's arm gently and quickly rushed out of the room. The game was starting, so their hastiness wasn't too noticeable.

Laura turned to her and spoke in a low voice, "I was gonna leave."

"You can't," Raini sliced another piece of cake and piled it onto a plate.

"Why not?" She reluctantly took the plate.

Raini looked at her, "It's Ratliff's birthday. You can't make it worse than it already is. He wants you here."

"Ross is ruining it."

"Screw Ross. He ruins a lot of things. That's just what he does. Ignore him; he's being childish. Let's make this day awesome for Ellington." Raini smiled, handing Laura a fork.

Laura laughed a little, taking the fork from her. "I don't really want this, you know."

"Eh, you could use some meat on those bones." She giggled and lightly hit Laura's arm, urging her forward. It was easy to reassure her to stay. Raini just had to make sure that she knew that Ross wasn't attacking her personally. Well...at least she hoped he wasn't.

They reentered the room and Maia was still sitting on Ross's lap, running her fingers through his hair. He didn't seem to pay much attention to her unless he noticed somebody watching. Laura and Raini took a seat, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"Maia is right, guys," Ross began, sitting up slightly. "This party is a little lame."

"Well, what would you like to do, Ross?" Raini asked, not able to tame her frustration. Every word he was speaking just stung her nerves.

"I think I know," Maia interjected with a smile, standing up slowly and pulling him up by his collar.

"Oh my gosh! What is wrong with you people? I don't wanna watch this!" Calum covered his eyes with his hands, his face contorted with disgust.

Rocky sighed, "Yeah, seriously Ross. If you're gonna act like this, take it somewhere else."

Everybody's eyes were on him. It was working. He was getting to them. "Fine," Ross grinned as Maia continued to tug on his shirt. "We'll be upstairs." He smiled that smile, the one that made what he was about to do very clear to everyone in the group. He glanced at Laura as he walked by, leading Maia up the stairs and out of sight.

Ratliff looked at his friends, his face almost expressionless. "This sucks."

They sat quietly for a moment, letting the situation sink in. "We should leave," Rocky realized, examining everyone else around him.

"But then they'll be here alone..." Rydel almost whimpered, her voice hopeless.

"Either way, we know what's about to go down. So, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be here when it does," Riker stood up, grabbing his keys off the end table.

Laura kept her mouth shut as everybody agreed to celebrate the rest of Ratliff's birthday at his house. She just remained still within all of the commotion and bit her lip hard. This was becoming too much for her too handle. Why was Ross trying to make enemies with the people who loved him the most?

"You okay?" Rocky lightly touched her hand, concern obvious in his features. Everybody was just about out the door and she was still sitting there.

She nodded, faking a smile. "Oh, yeah! Just a little tired." She began to stand up.

"You look like you're about to cry," he stated, his eyebrows raised.

"I just do that when I'm sleepy."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

He rolled his eyes, "I've known you since you were a baby. You've never done that before in your life."

**"Rocky, just drop it. I'm fine." She exhaled heavily and headed toward the door, Rocky close on her heels. She waited for him to pass her so that she could be the one to close the front door. She grasped the handle firmly and clenched her jaw. She tensed her muscles and slammed the door shut as hard as she could. It was loud. Hopefully Ross could hear it.**


	8. Chapter 8

Ross flinched when he heard the door slam downstairs. He moved toward the window and peeked through the curtains, watching his friends climb into the van and leave. He stared at the empty driveway for a long moment as Maia plopped down on his bed, exasperated.

"You always do this," she stated, obviously annoyed.

"What?" he questioned, his voice lacking interest. His gaze didn't move from the driveway.

She turned towards him, pulling her legs up onto the bed. "You promised that we could do what I wanted to do."

He finally looked at her, his eyes narrow. "Well, I don't want to do what you want to do," he responded, irritated.

Maia sat up straighter, clenching her jaw. "Ross, you always do this! You lead me on and then you don't do anything."

Ross swallowed hard and broke eye contact with her, glancing down at his feet.

"It always seems like you're gonna do something and then you always chicken out."

"I don't always chicken out," he stated, weakly.

She stood up and furrowed her eyebrows, "I don't even know why I bother. You're just a little kid."

"Shut up," he demanded, his face beginning to burn.

She smirked a little, noticing that he was starting to break. "And this time, I'm just gonna tell everyone the truth. Ross Lynch is just a wimpy little virgin."

Ross stepped forward and grabbed her arm tightly, wiping the smirk right off of her face. His eyes burned with fury as he stared into hers, but he was lost for words. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Noticing the fear on her face, he let go of her arm. Maia studied him for a moment before she allowed her smile to return. He was looking down at his feet again.

"That one stung, huh?"

He glanced up at her, his heart pounding and his cheeks throbbing. He paused for a minute and spoke softly, "Maia, why do you try to get people to hate you?"

She frowned, standing in front of him with her arms hanging at her sides. "I don't try..."

"They just do?"

She looked at him and watched as his face returned to its normal color. "I want you to like me."

"I do."

She remained still, contemplating whether or not to protest. She decided against it. It wasn't worth it. If she was gonna get what she wanted, she had to be nice to him. That's how it worked with Ross. She licked her lips and smiled to herself, realizing how she would get him. She locked eyes with him and pouted, "Then why won't you sleep with me?"

* * *

Rocky handed Laura a glass of Pepsi and sat down next to her on the couch. She wasn't happy about Ross and he could tell. Something has been going on for the past few days. He decided to avoid that topic. "So Laura, do you like sloths?"

Laura raised one eyebrow and looked at him, "Sloths?"

He grinned and sipped his own drink, "Yeah! You know, the animal?"

He managed to get her to giggle. She smiled at him, "Not particularly, no. I guess they're okay."

"They're amazing! What's wrong with you?" he teased, glancing around the room. This was much better without Ross.

"So," Riker chimed in, "Who wants to play a good old game of Twister?"

"Me!" Raini exclaimed, immediately jumping up and running to get it. They all knew right where they kept it.

Ellington smiled, his birthday finally turning out to be how he wanted it to be. "I'll play, but I just have to go do something first." He grabbed his jacket off of the chair and headed towards the stairs. Rydel watched as he disappeared, realizing what he was about to do. She bit her lip as her stomach filled with butterflies. Inhaling deeply, she tried to turn her attention toward the game.

Ellington walked into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. He dug his hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out Rydel's card. He was thinking about it all day and he couldn't wait to read it any longer. Rydel always had the best cards for him on his birthday. She always reminded him of little details about their friendship that he couldn't possibly remember. He loved that she kept these memories. He loved that he could replay them in his mind when he read her words. She might have said that he could read it in front of everyone, but he knew that it was something more personal than that. He had to read it alone. It was the only way he could absorb everything she wrote. He opened the card.

_Ellington:_

_It's your twentieth birthday today! Congrats! You're getting old ;) Well, there's so much for me to say in such a little space, so I don't know if I'll be able to fit it all. I'll give it my best shot. You know that you're the best friend I've ever had and I wouldn't trade you for anything. Not even that pink convertible that I always wanted at the amusement park :P Whenever I sit down to write these cards to you, I think about how much we've grown and how much closer we've gotten. I usually joke about the funny times we've had, but this time I'm gonna be a little more serious. I hope you don't mind. Do you remember that time that you and the boys built that fort when we went camping and you wouldn't let us girls in? Raini and Laura didn't care, but I cried. And do you remember when you came out and played with me? You went down to the lake with me and taught me how to skip stones across the water. I was so happy. I think it started then: I think that's when I fell in love with you._

Ellington caught his breath. He froze and reread that sentence: _I think that's when I fell in love with you._ Swallowing hard, he continued on.

_I've been in love with you since then, Ell. I don't want to jeopardize our friendship, so if you read this and you don't feel the same way, just please don't say a word about it. I'll get the hint and we can continue to be friends. But I had to tell you. And I felt like this was the best way to do it. No matter what happens, you know that I'll always care about you, right? You mean so much to me and I hope this doesn't ruin your birthday. I want you to have a great day. So...I don't really know how to end this...so I'll just say happy birthday._

_Love,_

_Rydel_

He stared at the card for a moment, his heart beat loud in his ears.


	9. Chapter 9

Rydel bit her lip hard as Rocky leaned over Laura to place his right hand on green on the Twister mat. She was spinning for them, her mind consumed by what Ellington was thinking as he read her card. She had no idea what to expect. He could have the same feelings for her as she did for him, or...not. She exhaled heavily and spun for Riker.

Ratliff strutted down the stairs as Riker kicked his right leg over to a red space. His face showed no expression. Rydel couldn't tell if he was happy, sad, embarrassed, mad... He was just...there. He smiled and plopped down on the couch, avoiding eye contact with Rydel. "How's the game goin'?"

Calum strained under Riker's weight, "Uh, it's going."

Raini laughed, her body in a comfortable position away from everyone else's. "This is my favorite game ever."

"Because you always win!" Laura exclaimed, her body on the bottom of the pile. She wrinkled her nose when she turned toward Rocky's armpit, "Ew."

Rocky laughed and inched closer to her face to the best of his ability.

"Rocky, you're gonna make me lose!"

Raini beamed, "You guys just don't know how to play strategically." She lowered her voice as if she had some secret to tell them, "The trick to winning is you don't pile on top of each other!"

"What's the fun of that?" Riker questioned almost breathlessly, his body contorted in a backbend position.

Rydel spun the wheel again, this time for Calum. She read the directions out loud to him and glanced at Ratliff as the group laughed and groaned at Calum's new position. Ratliff was determined to avoid her. Rydel stared at her feet, recalling the words she wrote in his card. _ ...So if you read this and you don't feel the same way, just please don't say a word about it._ She froze, her heart jumping into her throat. Ellington didn't feel the same way. She had just embarrassed herself. She might have said that they would be friends no matter what happened, but she knew that wasn't true. He would never treat her the same, knowing how she truly felt about him. She blew it. She blew everything. Their friendship, their chance at a future together...gone. She felt her face burn a deep shade of red.

"Rydel?" Rocky struggled, his voice shaking from the pressure his body was under.

Rydel swallowed hard, glancing at the group. Ratliff finally looked at her, but she couldn't tell if his eyes showed worry or remorse. Probably the latter of the two. She swallowed hard again, throwing the spinner to the side and rushing out of the house. Her quick movements caused everybody to collapse on top of one another.

They all glanced at each other in confusion. Was she alright? Ratliff looked down at his hands resting on his lap. After a moment of silence, Raini attempted to lighten the mood, "Looks like I won again."

Nobody laughed. Riker jumped up and ran after Rydel.

* * *

Ross tossed and turned in his sleep, cold sweat seeping through his pajamas. He woke up with a start, his breathing heavy. He sat up, examining his surroundings and attempting to calm himself. His mouth was dry, his body was moist. It was cool in his bedroom and his sweat made him cold. Finally regaining control over himself, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and peeled his shirt off of his body. He tossed it towards his hamper and ambled over to his dresser, pulling out a warm, dry shirt. His mind was still racing as he yanked the shirt over his head and sat back down on his bed. Shutting his eyes tightly, he saw Maia coming toward him. His heart began to pound and his eyes snapped open. He glanced around, almost paranoidly, to see if she was still there. He exhaled heavily when he discovered she wasn't. He could hear his blood pumping through his veins in his ears. His throat felt like it was closing. It was like he was hopeless.

He jolted off of his bed, heading for the door. He was more than prepared to run into Rocky's room and tell him what happened, like he used to do. _Rocky, I failed my history quiz today. How do I tell mom?_ Rocky always made him feel better when he screwed up. He was always there for him. He reached for the doorknob and stopped. He couldn't go to Rocky this time. Rocky couldn't be there for him.

Ross pulled his hand back. Running his fingers through his damp hair, he returned to his bed. His stomach never felt this upset. He had to keep swallowing back his saliva to prevent himself from throwing up. _Man, I really messed up,_ he thought, taking another deep breath. Why did he feel so guilty? People did this all the time, right? Especially Maia. He shuddered at the thought and pulled his knees up to his chest. Maybe it affected him so much because he really was a moral person, not some womanizer that everyone thought he was. Maybe he knew he wanted to wait until he truly loved someone. He definitely did not love Maia.

Why did he do it? It didn't matter now, it was over. He swallowed hard, trying to convince himself that it was okay. Laura has probably done it. Possible with Noah Centineo. He made a face. Why did he keep coming back to Laura? Her comments affected him the most. She's the reason why he was doing this. He need to make her and everyone else realize that who he was before was much better than who he was becoming. He needed Laura to want him.

Back.

He needed her to want him back. Back to his old self.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts of what he had done. He felt sick, but he couldn't give up now. Eventually they would see his act and tell him to knock it off. He would, knowing that he proved his point. But for now, he had to suck it up. No crying to Rocky or Riker. No showing any emotion.

**_But listen, Ross,_**** he thought to himself. ****_You are never ever doing that again._**


	10. Chapter 10

Laura rolled over in bed and stared at the clock on her nightstand. She groaned and shut her eyes tightly, trying to force herself to sleep. It didn't work. She fidgeted onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She felt sick. The weird thing was, she didn't know why. Everything seemed to be spiraling downward recently and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Was it that everyone around her was changing, or was she the one who changed? She felt a lump form in her throat. Why was she on the verge of tears? She exhaled heavily, attempting to halt the tears from overflowing from her eyes. _Ross, you idiot_, she thought. _Why are you making me cry?_

She didn't want to grow up. She didn't want things to be different. Why was he making things different? Why couldn't they be best friends like they used to be? It was like there was something unspoken driving them apart.

Laura squeezed her eyes shut again, imagining him sleeping peacefully in his bed, content with every decision he was making. Then, in her mind, he morphed into his six-year-old self, "napping" at their summer cabin.

This made Laura smile as she dug deeper into her memory, conjuring up the long days and nights she spent with the Lynches, Calum, Ellington, and Raini. It was always warm, always...perfect.

_"What are you doing, Laura?" Rocky asked her hesitantly as he walked into the peaceful room. He was seven years old and full of mischief. He furrowed his eyebrows and plopped down beside her._

_Laura peeled her eyes away from the sleeping Ross. "I'm trying to figure out what he is dreaming about."_

_Rocky raised his eyebrows, "That's weird."_

_She ignored him and turned her attention back to Ross._

_"Let's draw a mustache on him!"_

_"No!" she exclaimed in a sharp whisper. "He had a long day."_

_He rolled his eyes, "Fine, MOM." He got up and turned to walk away, but stopped. "I came in to ask you to play cards with us."_

_"I'm staying here."_

_"Whatever." Rocky shrugged his shoulders and disappeared into the other room. It was late at night, but the breeze coming in through the open windows was still warm. Laura turned back to Ross and jumped when she saw him looking up at her._

_"What are you doing?" he grinned._

_"Were you pretending?" she squealed, smiling like he was such a bad boy. She thought his tricks were always so clever and sophisticated._

_Ross sat up, "Yeah. I don't wanna play cards tonight. I didn't think you would stay here." He crossed his legs and sat straight across from her. His hair was a jumble of waves._

_"Do you want me to go?" she pouted, her hands on her knees. She was still in her faded sundress, the scent of sunscreen emitting from her body._

_He quickly grabbed her hands to ensure that she wouldn't leave. "No, I want you to stay."_

_"Why?" A question with no real wonderment behind it. A question that always escaped kids mouths in any conversation. Laura didn't really care why at that point, she just had to ask._

_"You're my best friend." He smiled widely, his missing teeth leaving a gap in the front of his mouth._

Laura smiled slightly, the memory playing vividly in her mind. It was that moment that she knew that they would be best friends forever. Or so she thought.

Frowning again, she turned back onto her side. What did it matter? She had other best friends, right? Like, Raini, for example. She and Raini were extremely close and Laura knew she could always rely on her. She didn't need Ross. Her heart began to beat irregularly, letting her know that that wasn't the case: She **did** need Ross. Something was telling her to not let go. It was like...they were something more than best friends.

* * *

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Rocky grumbled as Ross trudged into the room, still dressed in his pajamas. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and studied Ross as he made his way towards the refrigerator.

"Morning," Ross replied, his voice hoarse.

Riker glanced at Rocky and then spoke to Ross, "So, uh, Ross. You don't look so good."

Ross turned towards Riker, Rocky, and Ryland with dark circles under his eyes and a miserable expression on his face. He didn't crack a smile. "I didn't sleep very well," he muttered.

The boys sat silently as they watched Ross return to what he was doing. They all exchanged looks, but refused to say another word to him. Ryland cleared his throat, "So, where's Rydel?"

Riker exhaled heavily, "She's still upset about yesterday."

"Yeah, what happened exactly?" Rocky shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"I don't think she wants me to talk about it," Riker responded, getting up from the table. "I'm gonna go see if she's feeling any better." He glanced at Ross, noticing that he was covertly listening to the conversation, and shrugged. He left the kitchen and made his way towards Rydel's bedroom.

"Go away," he heard Rydel say when he knocked gently on the door.

"It's me," he replied, as if that would change her mind at all.

For a moment, there was no response. Finally, the door creaked open and Rydel stared at Riker with tear-filled eyes from the other side.

"Rydel..." he started, his heart falling from his chest. She just shook her head and walked to her bed, falling forward onto it. Riker sighed hopelessly, walking into the room and shutting the door behind him. He turned and looked at her, contemplating his next move. He slowly moved forward, sitting down beside her.

After a minute, she mumbled into her mattress, "Why am I so stupid?"

"Rydel, you're not stupid. You're courageous."

She turned her head to look up at him, her cheeks stained with tears. "I'm stupidly courageous."

Riker shook his head, "It's all going to be fine, Rydel. You guys are gonna forget it ever happened and go on living normally."

Rydel rolled over and sat up, adjusting her clothing. She sighed, disagreeing, "Things will never be the same now. I just messed it all up."

He let out a small chuckle, "Rydel, we all already kinda knew you had a crush on Ellington, but we didn't let that change anything."

She gasped, "You knew?"

He stared at her with wide eyes, "It was pretty obvious. He probably knew, too."

Rydel groaned, placing her hands over her face, "Why do I embarrass myself like this?"

Riker wrapped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug, "My point is that the only difference now is that you know we know. So, there's really no difference."

She turned her head and looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

He chuckled again, releasing her and looking into her eyes, "If you just let this go, I assure you that things will be the same. Just treat him like you always have and he'll do the same. You'll forget this ever happened."

"Except, I'll still have a crush on him." Just as Rydel turned her gaze back to her feet, the doorbell rang, causing her heart to skip a beat.


	11. Chapter 11

Rydel jerked her head and stared at Riker with wide eyes. He understood her fear immediately and stood up, "I'll get it."

"If it's Ellington, tell him I'm not here."

Riker looked at her for a moment, doubting that Ratliff would ever believe that, but he agreed. Then, he jogged down the stairs just as Rocky was pulling the front door open. "Wait," Riker blurted out, but he was too late.

To his surprise, it wasn't Ellington at the door.

"Maia," Rocky said, his lip curled with disgust. "What are you doing here?" He didn't offer to let her in.

Riker scooted closer to Rocky to catch a glimpse of Maia. He shuddered.

Maia pushed herself forward, but the brothers refused to move. She raised her eyebrows and stared at them in disbelief, "I'm here to see Ross."

Riker crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, he isn't here."

"Yeah!" Rocky added, immediately wishing he hadn't.

She scowled, "I know you guys are lying. Just let me in." She tried to squirm past them, but they still didn't budge.

"Why do you hate me so much?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with exasperation.

Riker and Rocky looked at each other and then back at her. At the same time they blurted out, "'Cause you're a whore."

Maia narrowed her eyes and pulled out her cell phone, sending Ross a text. "There. Now he'll come to my res-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the brothers slammed the door shut in her face and locked it. Riker turned to Rocky and they both started cracking up, proud of their actions.

"She totally deserved that," Rocky chuckled, leaning over and peeking out the window at her.

Riker laughed and agreed, "Yeah, what is Ross thinking? She's a heartless b-" Riker stopped what he was saying just as Ross turned the corner with his phone in his hands. He was staring at them with emotionless eyes.

"Beauty!" Riker continued, scratching the back of his head with his hand. He forced a smile.

Rocky glanced at Ross and then back at Riker, "He knows you don't mean that."

"You guys hate her." Ross's voice was dead, completely monotone.

Riker and Rocky exchanged looks again before turning back to Ross. "Then, why do you date her?"

"I'm not dating her." He reached for the doorknob and slipped out of the house before another word could be said. Riker and Rocky, utterly confused, just stared after him.

After a moment, Riker spoke, "Something's going on with him."

Rocky shook his head and patted Riker on the back as he walked away, "You think?"

* * *

"He ruined Ratliff's birthday," Laura repeated, throwing her homework and textbooks into her book bag.

Raini watched her, a concerned expression growing on her face, "I know. I was there."

Laura stopped abruptly, turning to Raini, her eyebrows furrowed, "Why is he doing this?"

"Maybe this is just who he is," Raini shrugged.

Shaking her head, Laura returned to what she was doing. "I couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking about it too much."

Raini smiled slightly, "Laura, people change. You have to let it go. He'll always be a part of our lives, but obviously not a very big part."

Laura pouted and fell backwards onto her bed. Raini moved towards her and rested her hand on her shoulder, comforting her. After a moment, she asked, "Hey, what is Noah up to these days?"

Laura shot her a glare, "We're not going there, Raini."

"What? You guys would make a great couple," she smiled innocently.

Laura just stood up, ignoring the suggestion, and grabbed her bag. "Are we going to see what's up with Rydel or what?" she questioned, looking impatiently at Raini.

"Okay, okay!" The girls quickly headed out, determined to help their best friend.

* * *

Ross gripped the steering wheel tightly, his focus on the road ahead of him. He and Maia sat in the front seats of the Lynch family van, driving aimlessly around the neighborhood. He clenched his jaw, refusing to even glance in her direction.

"So, where are we gonna park," she smirked, turning to look at the side of his face.

"We're not," he replied, keeping his eyes forward.

Maia frowned, sitting up straighter. "What do you mean?" She stared at him.

He finally looked in her direction, noticing the confused expression on her face. His own face remained emotionless. "We're not doing that again."

She watched as he turned his attention back to the road and furrowed her eyebrows. She wasn't going to let this go. "But you agreed to take me out."

"I am."

Rolling her eyes, she snapped back exasperatedly, "I thought you knew what I meant by that."

"I thought you knew what I meant when I agreed," Ross said, his voice never faltering. Before Maia could argue, he turned the car into a recognizable parking lot, filled with dozens of customers. McDonalds. The largest, and most popular, fast food restaurant chain in the world.

Maia curled her lip in disgust when she viewed her surroundings. She turned to Ross, "What is this?"

"McDonalds," he said, bluntly, parking the car and turning off the engine.

"I know," she huffed, "But what are we doing here?"

Ross unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at her, "This is where I'm taking you for our date."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"We're gonna eat and then I'm gonna take you back to my house."

She slowly smiled, his words showing a glimmer of hope.

"So you can get in your car and leave," he continued, opening the car door.

"Ross!" she exclaimed, reaching over and grabbing his arm. "Why are you doing this?"

He cocked his eyebrow and glanced at her hand, "I'm not doing **that** again. I did it once and now you owe me."

She jerked her head back, slightly surprised, "I owe you?" Her voice held some attitude and annoyance.

Ross pulled his arm away from her and nodded, "Yeah. I did something for you and now you do something for me."

Maia bit her lip, her eyebrows knitted together. She looked at him in wonderment, shocked that his perspective had changed drastically. Just the other day he was putty in her hands. "I didn't know that's how our relationship worked..." she said slowly.

"Don't act all innocent," he blurted out harshly. "I knew what you were after from the start. You got what you wanted and now you owe me."

She raised an eyebrow, not expecting him to catch on so quickly. Was she really that bad at acting? She decided to chance it one last time, "I thought you wanted it, too."

**Ross narrowed his eyes, "Did you?" He stared at her for a moment longer before swinging his legs out of the car and slamming the door shut. He made his way towards the entrance of the fast food restaurant, not even bothering to wait for Maia. He knew that she didn't really care about him. He figured her all out. She was playing him this whole time. Subconsciously, he always knew that. But it wasn't until yesterday until it became extremely obvious to him. Now, he decided, he would make it clear to her that he was using her as well.**

* * *

Follow me on Twitter! RossyJerseyShor


	12. Chapter 12

"I don't know if you should go in there," Ryland said seriously, shaking his head.

"Shut up, Ryland," Raini rolled her eyes and pushed him aside, opening Rydel's bedroom door. She was lying flat on her bed with her face shoved into her pillow. Laura and Raini entered the room quietly and shut the door, keeping Ryland out.

"Delly?" Laura spoke softly, slowly inching closer to Rydel's bed.

Rydel didn't say a word.

Raini and Laura exchanged glances and then turned their attention back to Rydel. "What happened yesterday?" Raini asked, getting right to the point.

Laura glared at her as Rydel pulled her face away from her pillow to look at them. "Why are you guys here?" she asked, her hair falling in her face.

"'Cause we're your best friends and we want you to be happy," Laura smiled reassuringly and sat on her bed.

"Yeah, we want to make sure you're okay," Raini agreed, sitting on the opposite side of the bed so that the girls surrounded Rydel.

"It's not a big deal," Rydel assured her friends, looking back and forth between them.

"Obviously it is," Raini motioned towards Rydel's state of being.

"Do you need us to get Calum over here to make you laugh?" Laura asked, prepared to do anything to help her best friend.

Rydel giggled slightly, shaking her head, "No, that's okay. I'm gonna be fine."

"Well, if you want to talk about it, we're here," Raini comforted her with a smile.

Rydel sighed heavily, looking at her toes. She thought for minute, contemplating whether or not to tell them. She knew she could trust them, but she also knew that she would risk embarrassing herself again. She decided to let it go and lay all down on the table. They were bound to find out at some point, anyway. "In Ellington's birthday card, I told him that I love him," she blurted out, never removing her gaze from her toes.

Laura and Raini gasped, but attempted to conceal their shock. "You never told us that you had a crush on him!" Raini exclaimed, her mouth hanging open.

Laura leaned over and slapped her lightly on the arm.

"But, we always figured you did," Raini continued, not getting the hint.

Laura shook her head, holding her hand over her face. Rydel blushed excessively, avoiding looking them in the eyes. "Yeah, well I blew it."

"Maybe he feels the same way," Laura suggested.

She shook her head, "He doesn't."

"How do you know?"

Rydel licked her lips and swallowed hard, holding back tears that she felt forming in her heart. "Because I told him specifically to not say anything about it if he didn't feel the same way," her voice broke.

The girls sat quietly, Rydel's sadness radiating throughout the room. Raini finally spoke, "Maybe he was just shocked."

They all sat in silence once again, considering this thought. Rydel's cheeks began to return to their normal color and she could speak confidently. "Riker told me that everything will go back to normal," she concluded, making it clear that she didn't want to talk about it anymore and that the conversation had come to an end.

"He's right," Laura stood up, "C'mon, let's go see what the boys are doing downstairs."

Rydel finally got off of her bed and left her bedroom, following the girls down the stairs. She was sick of feeling sorry for herself and she just wanted to forget about it. She needed something new to think about for a while. They entered the living room to see Riker, Rocky, and Ryland piled on top of each other on the floor.

Laura tilted her head to the side, "What are you guys doing?"

"We tried to make a pyramid," Rocky grinned, on the bottom of the pile.

"With three people?" Raini questioned, her eyebrows raised.

"And you couldn't do it?" Laura added.

Riker grinned sheepishly, freeing himself from the tangled pile. "Yeah, don't worry about it," he brushed it aside, fixing his clothes.

Ryland looked up at Rydel from the ground, "You're alive!"

"Shut up, Ryland," Raini said instinctively, plopping down onto the couch.

Rydel let out a small laugh and nodded, "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good," Rocky repeated, standing up and realizing that they shouldn't talk about it anymore. He looked at Laura, "How are you?"

She laughed, glancing at the others in the room, "I'm fine?"

"Oh, well you were feeling a little down yesterday so I just wanted to make sure all was good," he nodded and walked into the kitchen, getting them a few sodas.

Laura glanced at Raini. The mysterious acts of Rocky Lynch. She would probably never understand him, but she appreciated that he cared.

Riker clapped his hands together and looked at the shrinking size of the group of friends, "So what do you guys wanna do?"

Just as Rocky reemerged from the kitchen with the drinks, they all heard a car pull up outside. Then, they heard another right after the first. Two cars. They looked out the window to see Ross and Maia hopping out of the van and Calum and Ellington getting out of his car.

Laura turned to Raini. Rydel turned to Riker. Rocky and Ryland turned to each other: they didn't know why, but they saw everybody else do it. "Don't let them in!" Rydel exclaimed.

"We have to. Ross lives here," Riker stated, moving towards the front door.

"Fine. Let him in and send him to his room. Then close the door on everybody else." Rydel started to hide behind the couch until Raini stopped her.

"What about Calum?" Riker asked.

"What about Ellington?" Ryland asked, obliviously.

"What about Maia?" Rocky asked, trying to keep a straight face but failing. "Oh, that was just a joke, you know. I hate her," he laughed.

They all glanced out the window to see Calum and Ellington approaching the front door and Maia getting in her car. Ross was waving goodbye to her.

"Oh, don't have to worry about her."

"Don't let Ellington in!" Rydel was becoming frantic.

Maia drove off, her expression not too bright. Ross started for the door.

Laura jumped up, "Wait!" She pushed past Riker and swung open the front door. Ratliff and Calum stood right in front of her. She waved quickly to them and headed down the driveway, determined. Ross's eyes widened when he saw her coming. She reached him just as Ratliff and Calum walked into the house.

**"Hi everybody," Ratliff said, acknowledging the group uneasily and staring right at Rydel.**


	13. Chapter 13

Laura raised her hand in the air, tempted to slap Ross for everything he was doing. She was furious with him. Words of anger and hatred filled her mind in a jumbled and incomprehensible mess. She lifted her eyes until her gaze met his and she froze. He looked so scared and miserable. Her hand slowly fell to her side and her facial expression softened. She couldn't spit out any of the words she was previously thinking of. Her anger seemed to disappear in that moment that their eyes connected. It was like all she wanted to do was...kiss him.

Kiss him?!

Was she nuts? Had she gone mad? Ross was her childhood friend! The boy she grew up with! The boy who, just moments ago, made her want to punch a wall! She couldn't want to kiss him! All of these mixed emotions must have gotten to her. Her mind was tricking her.

Ross held his breath and almost flinched when he saw Laura coming at him with her hand raised. But then she just stopped. Why did she stop? She was just staring at him, her mind working overtime. He didn't know what to do. Did she want him to say something? Did she want him to run? He lost all control over his muscles. All he could do was stare right back at her. His heart was fluttering. He furrowed his eyebrows. Why did he feel this weird sensation? It must be fear...

Laura exhaled heavily, snapping back into reality. She pushed those strange thoughts out of her brain and glanced down at her feet, regaining her speech. "Um," she stuttered, trying to think of something to say to Ross. He was expecting something important, some reason why she came charging at him a minute earlier.

He clenched his jaw, remembering that he had an act to continue. "What is it, Laura?"

She looked up at him, his brown eyes turning dark. Something wasn't right and she could tell. He was hiding something. "What is wrong with you?" she blurted out, wanting this whole mess to end.

"Nothing," he shrugged, pushing past her and beginning to head into the house.

Laura grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around and face her. She had never been this aggressive before and it surprised her. "Ross, I'm getting sick of this. You're not being yourself and I know that it isn't just because you 'grew up'." Her heart was pounding.

Ross opened his mouth to say something meaningless, but she continued.

"And I know when you're lying, so don't even bother. I'm so mad at you right now."

He stopped and looked at her, realizing that he really hurt her feelings. He didn't want that to happen, he just wanted to prove a point. Maybe this was going too far. _ Dummy,_ Ross thought to himself, _Obviously it already had gone too far!_ He looked at her again and his heart rate quickened. "I'm sorry," he said, glancing down at his feet.

She furrowed her eyebrows, not expecting that response. She didn't know what to say.

He thought for a minute, contemplating his next sentence. Should he tell her the truth? She had realized that he was acting differently. Wasn't that his plan? He wanted everyone to see that he could be the player they all made him out to be. He wanted them to realize that he was truly a good guy, before their words pushed him over the edge. Now that he thought about it, this seemed like the dumbest plan he had ever thought of. It only made things worse! He was losing his friends altogether. He wouldn't really prove anything to them until he told the truth. Otherwise, they would just think he was a jerk. A jerk this entire time.

"I haven't been myself," he confessed, ready to end this nightmare he put himself into just a few days earlier. He made eye contact with her, ready to spill the truth, when he froze. He couldn't do it. He didn't want her to know that he cared so much about what she thought about him. Then again, why **did** he care so much?

Laura waited for him to continue, but he never did. "Well?" she raised her eyebrows

"I've been awesome!" he said finally, failing to put it all out on the table. He plastered a fake smile on his face and walked past her, toward the house. This whole Maia thing would have to continue. For what reason? He no longer knew.

* * *

"Why is it so tense in here?" Ryland asked, breaking the silence. He looked back and forth between the groups of friends, very confused about what was happening.

"Ellington has something he has to say!" Calum bursted out excitedly. He couldn't contain the beaming grin on his face.

Ratliff glared at him, annoyed that he said anything. Clearly Calum agreed to keep his mouth shut, but failed to uphold this promise.

"Well, what is it?" Riker grinned, stroking his chin with his finger and thumb as he waited for Ratliff to speak. He suddenly had a good feeling about this situation.

Ratliff turned back to Rydel and cleared his throat, "I wanted to tell you that I didn't talk to you yesterday because I had to think about it. You caught me off guard."

Rydel glanced around nervously, biting her lip. She desperately wanted to act cool, but her heart was pumping out of her chest.

"Think about what?" Rocky questioned, leaning back onto the couch. He knew he was in for a show.

Ratliff ignored him. He was sure Rocky would figure it out in a few seconds. His eyes stayed locked on Rydel's as he began to approach her. "I think," he started, his voice shaking slightly, "That I've always felt the same way. I just trapped those feelings away because I never thought a gorgeous girl like you would want to be with silly guy like me."

Rydel's eyes lit up as he walked closer to her. She smiled, unsure of how to respond.

"I just didn't know what to say yesterday, Rydel," Ratliff stated as he paused right in front of her. "But now I do," he nodded, staring deep into her eyes, losing the world around him. Everyone's eyes were on them and nobody dared to interrupt. It was like they were watching the most intense moment in the best romantic movie that ever existed.

**"I've always loved you, too."**

* * *

:o Woah! Things are heating up! I'm so happy you guys like it so far! I've been getting a lot of great reviews and now I'm taking this opportunity to thank you. You are great! I want to know what you all think is going to happen next :)

And now I have a favor to ask of you. I'm entered in a contest on Facebook to meet R5. It would mean the world to me if you could take a second out of your day to visit the link below and 'like' my photo. The person with the most likes wins! So, I'll make a deal with you. If I win (with the help of all of your likes!), then I will post THREE new chapters of this story THIS weekend. THREE! I promise :) Now, that's only if I win! So like like like!

www . facebook photo . php ?fbid=4499797028042&set=o.64731528486&type=1&theater (Take out the spaces and add .com and / after facebook! Sorry, links are weird on here.)


	14. Chapter 14

The group exploded in cheers and hollers. Riker high fived Rocky and Calum did a little jig. Raini smiled so widely and her eyes began to well up. Rydel just beamed at Ratliff, her body frozen. She was unsure of what to do next or how to react. It was as if the world spun around her, noisy and fast. The entire room supported her. They had all patiently waited for this moment for ages now. All except one.

"What?!" Ryland's voice overpowered everyone else's excitement. His eyebrows were arched and his expression showed complete and utter confusion. This definitely took him by surprise.

The room fell silent. Everyone looked at Ryland, surprised and shocked expressions on their own faces. Did he really not expect this?

"What do you mean 'what'?" Riker accused, finally breaking the silence.

Ryland blushed deeply, embarrassed that he was the only one in the group that hadn't understood this important situation. He took a step backwards and awkwardly scratched the back of his head, "I just didn't know Ell and Rydel were, like, a thing."

"Learn to keep up, Ryland," Raini shoved him and rolled her eyes, a light smile playing on her face. If anyone were to miss the 'Rydellington' signs, it would be Ryland.

Just then, Ross barged in through the front door. He turned to everyone, surprised that they were all there. His eyes were wide like a deer's in the headlights. Ryland, oblivious to the sudden tension, turned to Ross and immediately attempted to defend himself again, "Ross, did you know about Ellington and Rydel?"

Ross cleared his throat, "What do you mean?"

"They're a thing!" Ryland exclaimed.

Ross nodded, not even cracking a smile, "Yeah, I saw that coming." Then, without another word, he turned towards the stairs and left the room.

Ryland turned to the group, his smile fading. They were all staring at him, disbelieving that he never paid enough attention to see the blooming relationship between Ratliff and Rydel or the problems forming with Ross.

"Like I said," Raini confessed, "You need to learn to keep up, Ry." She stood up and patted him on the back, making her way to the front door. Laura was still outside and she needed to make sure everything was alright.

Ratliff watched Raini leave before addressing the group, "Does Ross have to ruin every good moment of my life?"

"No, no," Riker insisted, making a sudden movement toward the new couple. "You two are going to leave this house and enjoy a drama free date, okay?" He placed his hands on both of their shoulders and gently shoved them closer together. "Now, run along."

Rydel furrowed her eyebrows as Riker pushed them out the back door. He quickly shut it behind them and turned to the remaining friends in the living room. He paused before exclaiming, "Finally!"

As Rocky and Calum cheered, Ryland stood up, "I need to go take an aspirin."

* * *

Raini stopped on the front porch and witnessed Laura sitting on the pavement at the bottom of the driveway, her knees close to her chest. She frowned and skidded down the driveway to figure out what was going on.

Laura felt Raini standing over her and looked up. Her face wasn't tear stained, which Raini took as a very good sign. Laura shook her head and looked away, a signal for Raini to join her on the pavement.

"What happened?" Raini asked after a few moments of remaining still and quiet.

Laura shrugged, not knowing if anything happened at all. Ross acted the same way he's been acting for days. But there was something different today. She could tell that he wanted to confess something, get something off of his chest. He just didn't. "I don't know," she responded finally, still staring at the road in front of her.

Raini grasped a few strands of grass that grew through the cracks in the driveway and began to pluck them out subconsciously. She bit her lip, thinking about how she could help her friend. Her best friend. She had been suspecting what the problem was between Laura and Ross for quite some time now, but she was afraid to admit it. She refused to be the person to bring it out in the light before they even figured it out themselves. She decided the change the subject, "Ell told Rydel that he is in love with her."

Laura glanced up, a smile forming across her lips. "Really?"

Raini nodded, smiling as well.

"I missed it," Laura began to pout again, turning away from Raini.

Sighing, Raini leaned over and pulled Laura into a side hug. "Forget about Ross. He'll come around eventually." She paused, "And I'm sure there will be a lot more of Ellington and Rydel's relationship that you'll get to see."

Laura smiled slightly, resting her head on Raini's shoulder.

* * *

_Okay, Ross. You need to seriously think things through. _Ross tugged at the ends of his hair, thinking to himself, his mind in a jumble of mixed emotions and ideas. _You started this whole scheme to become the person that everyone thought you were. And now you are. So does this mean it worked and you can go back to being yourself?_ He groaned and fell backwards onto his bed. _Obviously it didn't work. You need to confess to them in order for them to understand._ His friends really hurt his feelings. He didn't want to admit it, but that's what it all came down to. He didn't want them to make fun of him for being a 'player' anymore. So he acted irrationally and decided to call Maia. Now he understood how stupid that plan was. Becoming the person they all thought he was would not solve anything. He should've figured that out sooner, before he went too far. Ross's stomach churned at the thought of the other night. He wanted revenge for the way she played him and earlier he was more than prepared to use her for his own purposes, but seeing Laura in the driveway changed his mind. He couldn't stand lying to her. She was the main reason he was in this position, but it didn't make sense that he decided to push her away even more. What was he thinking? And why didn't he tell her the truth when he had the chance to in the driveway? He groaned again and rubbed his hands furiously over his eyes.

**There was something else that was causing him to act this way. It was almost like...he wanted to make Laura jealous. Ross froze. Jealous? He really only wanted to keep Maia around to make Laura...jealous? He shook his head feverishly. ****_No, Ross. You're just confused right now. That's all. You're making things up in your mind._**** But what if it was true? Either way, this mess had to end as soon as possible. And it would start with him confessing to his friends. It was time to quit acting and own up to his own feelings.**

* * *

So, did you all like it? Ross is having a change of heart! Or is he? Haha, he acts so irrationally that it's hard to predict what he'll do next! What do you all think?

Well, there are a few things I'd like to address. First off, thank you so much to those of you who liked my photo for the R5 contest on Facebook! Unfortunately, I did not win. But I did see many of you representing, so I greatly appreciate that!

Second, a couple of you have been confused about Ratliff _and_ Ellington. And believe it or not, I've gotten some hate for "making them the same person"! Well, they are the same person. Any R5 fan knows that. I'm surprised that I even have to explain this, but I guess it's my fault for interchanging names. Should I just call him Ratliff from now on?

Finally, is it really necessary to be mean to me in reviews? If you don't like my story, then don't read it. It's simple. I've gotten rude comments from a specific reader on several chapters of this story. My thoughts: Why did you take the time to read all thirteen chapters if you hated it so much? I just delete the reviews and try not to let it affect me, but it really does. I started writing this for myself. I honestly didn't think anybody would even see it. Now I have so many followers on it and I try so hard to please you guys. Obviously I can't please everybody, but that doesn't mean I should be put down for it. It makes writing less fun. So, I'm sorry for ranting. I just needed to get that off of my chest. I hope you continue to enjoy this story. :)


	15. Chapter 15

Laura snuggled up on the couch in her pajamas, ready to stay in for the rest of the night. So much drama had been going on during the past couple of days that she just wanted to take a break from it all and relax. Her blanket and her favorite movie never looked so good.

Just as she was pulling a bowl of popcorn onto her lap, the doorbell rang. Her heart immediately plummeted into her stomach, annoyance and frustration taking over her body. Really? Would it ever end? She remained still for a moment, contemplating whether or not to answer the door. She groaned, realizing that she had to. It might have been an emergency.

It wasn't. It wasn't an emergency at all. As soon as Laura pulled open the front door, she regretted it. Well, not regretted it. It was more like... she wished it happened at a different moment. Wished it happened when she was fully dressed with her makeup on. She smiled sheepishly up into Noah Centineo's dark brown eyes. "H-hi," she stuttered, hiding slightly behind the door.

"Hey," he responded coolly, his smile never faltering. "How are you?"

"I'm fine..." This was a little awkward. Did he come over just to ask her how she was?

"I was just taking a walk around the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by." Noah nodded, finally realizing how uncomfortable the situation was becoming. And how dumb that excuse to see her really was.

"That's sweet of you," Laura smiled slightly, still covering herself with the door.

"Listen," he began, his true intentions about to become apparent. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately and I think you're really cool." He glanced down at her pajamas, "I actually came to ask you on a date, but maybe I should've just texted you." He laughed uneasily.

She mimicked him, her laugh noticeably fake. "Yeah, maybe."

"I just wanted to see you," he defended himself in a playful manner, flipping his hair out of his face.

She bit her lip nervously, unsure of how to respond. He was cute. She couldn't deny that. But did she want to date him? She _should_ want to. Every girl did. Every girl that wasn't already caught up with Ross.

She shook her head inwardly, trying to forget about Ross. She should go on the date. What harm could it do? One date wouldn't kill her...

"I would love to go on a date with you, Noah," she blurted out, suddenly realizing she had been ignoring him for her thoughts. Was her answer even relevant anymore?

"Awesome!"

Obviously she didn't miss too much.

"So I'll pick you up tomorrow?" Noah looked at her pajamas once again, "Around six? Since obviously you go to bed pretty early..."

It wasn't worth it to defend herself. She agreed and waved goodbye to him, shutting the door. She paused for a moment. Noah just asked her out. And she said yes. It was impossible for her not to smile. Just a little bit.

* * *

It was two o'clock in the morning. Ross heard the clock chime downstairs from his bedroom. He was wide awake. Once again. He couldn't sleep. The nightmare continued to creep into his mind the second night in a row. He was sick over it. And nights were the worst. His mind wandered freely, forcing him to relive that moment. Over and over again. Why was this haunting him? It should have been no big deal. It was done now. There was nothing he could do about it. It's not like he killed anybody. He just had sex. One time. With Maia.

He almost gagged, lying on his back in his bed. Why did he do it with her? She repulsed him even more now. It should've been with someone he actually cared about. He felt so used. Kind of like toilet paper. That's exactly what he felt like. Toilet paper.

He wished he wasn't so weak. He sort of wished he really was a player. Then this wouldn't be affecting him so much. It would be a minor thing in his life, like it is to most people. Why was he such a baby?

Ross couldn't take it anymore. He had to tell somebody. It was eating at him. It would gnaw at him until he didn't want to do it ever again, with anyone. He couldn't have that. Although he had already decided to confess the entire truth to everyone tomorrow, this couldn't wait. He jumped out of his bed and this time he actually opened his bedroom door, slowly sneaking over to Rocky's bedroom.

He didn't knock. He just slid into the room, his eyes already adjusted to the darkness. Quietly, he closed the door behind him and tip toed over to Rocky's bed. Rocky was asleep. His hair was matted to the pillow and he was snoring. Ross tapped his shoulder, adrenaline pumping through the rest of his body. He was prepared for Rocky to jump.

And he did. Rocky gasped and snapped out of his sleep, blinking his eyes feverishly to get a glimpse of the murderer before he was stabbed to death. After a moment of tension between the two brothers, Rocky sighed, relieved to see that it was just Ross, not a cold blooded murderer.

"You scared me, dude," he grumbled, still regaining his normal breathing pattern. He rubbed his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry," Ross said, his heart still pounding. It was a combination of fear and anxiety. Should he tell Rocky or was this a mistake?

"What are you doing in here?" Rocky questioned, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Ross. He was still waking up.

Ross swallowed hard and played with the ring on his finger nervously. He had to tell him. He sat down on Rocky's bed and opened his mouth, but no words came out. All he felt were tears building in the back of his throat. If he spoke, they would automatically come pouring out.

Rocky was suddenly wide awake. He saw the tears in Ross's eyes. He saw the stress that Ross was under. He leaned forward, a new expression of concern in his features, "What is it, Ross?"

**It was now or never.**

* * *

I was so happy with the reviews that I received on the last chapter, that I HAD to post another one tonight. :) Thank you all so much for your support. I had a huge smile on my face today. I love that you guys love my story and I love that you guys reminded me to never listen to the haters. I like to write and I'm going to continue to write no matter what.  
And if you're wondering about Raura... I'll just remind you that it's not called a Raura Love Story for no reason. ;)


	16. Chapter 16

Ross looked at Rocky, a lump in his throat. "Rocky," he said in barely a whisper. His voice was hoarse and low as he struggled to contain his tears. "I slept with Maia."

That was it. Saying the words somehow made it real. He didn't want to cry, but he couldn't help it.

Rocky, eyes wide, didn't know what to say or do. "I mean," Rocky stammered, "Don't you do that all the time?"

Ross looked at him, the hurt becoming fresh again. He understood why he wanted to prove a point. His friends and family didn't even know him at all. They really thought he was some sort of womanizer. Why? Because girls liked him? If his friends even bothered to pay attention, they would know that he was the most innocent one of all. He might have had an air about him that made it seem like he ran around and broke all of the girls' hearts, but that truly wasn't him. He fooled them, without even meaning to.

"I've never done that before, Rocky!" Ross said harshly, a little too loudly for a conversation in the middle of the night. He noticed that his tears had stopped.

Rocky stared at him, almost in disbelief. Wait a minute.

"You don't even know me! I thought we were best friends and you don't even know the real me! Nobody knows me. Everyone has this preconceived notion that I'm some sort of playboy, but they don't take the time to see that I'm not!" He felt the tears coming back. This time, they were forming out of anger.

Rocky put his hand over Ross's mouth and shushed him, glancing towards the door.

Ross ripped Rocky's hand away from his lips and continued, "And that's why I did it, Rocky. Because I thought, 'Hey. Maybe if I show them how awful I can be, maybe they'll see that I was never really so bad.'" He paused, catching his breath and wiping his tear stained cheeks with the back of his hand. "It was too late before I realized how dumb that was." By this point he had lowered his voice.

Rocky watched him, his heart beat loud in his ears. He was at a loss for words. He had no clue. No clue at all. The past couple of days, he and his brothers had just pushed Ross aside, assuming that he was on yet another girl rampage. He had no idea that Ross was struggling. He should've known. Like Ross said, Rocky was his best friend. He should have known something was up.

He swallowed hard, finally gaining the courage to speak up. "I'm sorry," he managed to say.

Ross didn't look at him. He just continued to spin the ring on his finger, his eyes focused on the floor.

Rocky tried again, "I guess all the jokes about you being a girl magnet escalated into something horrible." He paused, "We all talked ourselves into believing something that wasn't true."

Ross still refused to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Ross. I didn't know it was hurting you so bad. I didn't know you cared so much." Rocky was almost begging him to acknowledge him. "I'm sorry."

"I've never felt like this before," Ross finally whispered, his voice hoarse. It was a hopeless feeling. He didn't know what step to take next.

Rocky sighed and watched the side of Ross's face, suddenly seeing him as the little brother he had forgotten he was. He needed to help him, one problem at a time. "Pretend nothing ever happened with Maia," he stated, eager to make Ross feel better.

The room fell silent. Ross's eyes were still fixated on the floor in front of him. The air felt oppressive, like the frustration would never end. Rocky continued, "And I'll get everybody to stop picking on you."

"I'm gonna tell them everything tomorrow," Ross confirmed abruptly, shifting his eyes in Rocky's direction. "I'm gonna tell them the truth and end this nightmare."

Rocky just wanted to hug Ross, like he did when they were younger. He wished they could go back to those days when everything was carefree.

"And I'm gonna tell Laura to stop telling me that things can never be the same between us," he added, his mind remembering the person that pushed him over the edge. He wanted to prove Laura wrong most of all. He wanted her to realize that she was imagining the wrong side of him. He desperately wanted her to see that growing up didn't automatically mean growing apart. She was wrong. It was like she was purposely pushing him away and making him believe that it was his fault.

"Laura?" Rocky raised his eyebrows, reminded of the tension between Laura and Ross.

"Yeah, she thinks because we're growing up and I'm apparently a player that we will never have the same friendship." He shook his head, his anger resurfacing. "She's the main reason I had this ridiculous plan."

Rocky stared at Ross, everything becoming so obvious to him now. Ross cared so much about what Laura thought of him for one reason. Laura pushed him away for the same reason. He felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. "Well, truthfully, she is right. Your friendship_ won't_ ever be the same again."

Ross finally faced Rocky, his eyes swollen and tired, but wide and expecting. "What do you mean by that?" he asked seriously, dreading that he had made the wrong decision to talk to his brother.

**"You're in love with her." He paused, "And I'm pretty sure she's in love with you, too."**

* * *

Guys, he did it. And he's making some pretty amazing discoveries about himself because of it ;) Haha! Let me know what you think.


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